How To Plan Your Next Road Trip

March 5, 2017

It’s March! Before we know it, it will be Summer… which means that now is the perfect time to start planning your next road trip! But planning can be quite stressful. Where do we even start? No worries! Thanks to Lifehacker, I now know how to plan the perfect getaway.

Know where you’re going and for how long

The first step is to decide where you want to go and for how long. What are the places you have always wanted to visit? Depending on how much time you have, you can make as many stops on the way as possible.

Use a road trip app

Roadtrippers is a very cool website and app that allows you to pick your start and end destination and let’s you add places along the way. It then maps out the road for you, so you do not have to worry about ending up in Bratislava, while trying to get to Paris. 🙂 If you plan on going by plane, read my article on how to get the cheapest flight tickets.

Once you’ve picked your desired places, the Roadtrippers app shows all the accommodations (camping, hotels, etc.), attractions, food places, outdoor activities/sightseeings, shopping places, service points (gas stations, tourist information), entertainment and nightlife activities along the way. How cool is that! And for all the US road trippers, they also have a great collection of popular road trips in the United States.

Save the money!

Of course you can plan the trip of your dreams, but keep in mind the costs. Roadtrippers already estimates the fuel costs, but there are plenty of other costs to keep in mind:

Accommodation

Transportation costs in the cities (train, bus, taxi, etc.)

Food

Typical tourist activities (sightseeing, museums, etc.)

Shopping

Nightlife

Unexpected costs, such as car repairs

The costs can easily add up. Luckily, there are online travel budget calculators that can help you estimate the costs. You can find a useful one at Independent Traveler, where you can fill in their predefined expenses and add expenses of your own. The calculator is a good place to start but always make sure you save more money than you expect to spend.

Be prepared

Many costs can be avoided by being well-prepared. For instance, make sure that your car is in good shape and that you have some basic equipment in your car, in case you have a flat tire or need an oil change. Also, make sure to bring some food of your own, because food costs are usually the highest costs. Lastly, make sure to save on gas! There are a few apps that can help you save on gas, such as GasBuddy for US and Canada travelers, but getting fuel off the highways is already a great way to get cheaper gas.

Et voilà!

That’s it! You are ready to go for your next trip to… wherever! If you are not sure yet whether you should go on a road trip, read my post on why to travel the world. Being able to see the world and its beauty is truly a blessing and we should make full use of the opportunity!

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Femme Friendly is a female-friendly website with inspiring posts and tips for women. With a passion for mindfulness, goal setting and personal development, the founder created the website in 2016 in order to reach out to women all over the world and motivate them to be the best version of themselves.